Thursday night in Mile High City will be the second meeting of the season between the Finals favourites. In June, if the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets play each other again this season, the championship will be at stake. The Celtics’ 11-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday when they lost the opening leg of a five-game road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That same night, the Nuggets’ six-game winning streak came to an end as they lost to the Phoenix Suns in overtime. Denver (42-20), the defending champion, is in third place in the West and has the second-highest odds to go back-to-back (+420), while Boston (48-13) has the best record in the NBA and the best odds to win it all (+210). When these teams last faced off, the Nuggets prevailed 102–100 at TD Garden, the Celtics’ only three home losses of the season. In that game, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray combined for 69 points, while Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White, the three Boston starters, finished with a combined 65 points. With a sacroiliac injury, Jaylen Brown is uncertain, as he only had 13 points that evening. Denver Nuggets vs.
But enough to overcome Jokić, the front-runner for his third MVP of the season, was a 35-point effort from Kevin Durant and an additional 28 from Grayson Allen, which included eight three-pointers. His meagre total of 25 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists was his lowest since January. During the entire season, the Nuggets have not lost consecutive home games. This is as close a line as it gets, even though their record against the spread (27–33–2) isn’t as good as the Celtics’ (30–28–3). Tatum, who may be travelling without his running partner, will be up against Jokić and Murray on home court.